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The Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution was the first successful communist revolution in the world. It laid the ideological foundation for political disputes during the Cold War. -
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference despite the intentions being to bring the countries together only exacerbated the relations between the U.S. and Russia. -
The Atomic Bomb
The use of the atomic bombs on Japan worried the Soviet Union to the fact that we were willing to use weapons of mass destruction and that Russia's army would be useless in the fight against it. -
Iron Curtain
Separation between the free Western Europe and the Soviet Sphere that occupied East Europe. -
Molotov Plan
Soviet relief system designed to help Soviet controlled countries out of their economic depressions. Was created to spite the US efforts to rebuild Europe with the Marshal plan. -
Hollywood 10
10 film industry members residing in Hollywood denounced HUAC and were believed to have been communists. Thus their careers had been ended due to accusations -
Truman Doctrine
Provides the idea and the execution for preventing the spread of communism to poor and developing countries. -
Marshall Plan
Aimed to provide financial backing to struggling European countries in the hopes of preventing Communist revolutions. -
Berlin Blockade
East Berlin was cutoff from the world by the Soviet Union forcing the section of city into near starvation and worsening the ties between the US and Soviet Union -
Berlin Airlift
Due to the Berlin Blockade the people of Berlin were starving. The US employed hundreds of Aircraft to routinely drop supplies onto the city for the citizens -
Alger Hiss Case
Alger Hiss was convicted of conspiring against the US and giving Nuclear secrets to the Soviets. -
Nato
Coalition of European countries and the Us to provide aid to one another in the event of an invasion -
Rosenburg Trial
The Rosenburgs were accused of giving away bomb secrets to the Soviet Union. Despite the lack of evidence they were charged and sent to the electric chair. This shows the severity of how afraid the country was and the lengths they went to to silence communism and spies. -
Soviet Bomb Test
Soviets first attempt at a Nuclear weapon. The event shook the world and scared Citizens because the Soviet Union was shaping up to be a World superpower -
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
First battle between the Vietcong and the French with the end result being Vietnam divided at the 17th parallel -
Army-McCarthy Hearings
Hearings held by the US senate regarding viewpoints of the US army and Joseph McCarthy. -
First Geneva Conference
Conference in Switzerland to settle issues from the Korean and Indochina war. -
Warsaw Pact
Pact between Soviet held countries and the Soviet Union. Made in response to the US creating NATO -
Hungarian Revolution
Revolt from Hungarian citizens imposed by Soviet implemented government. Sparking the beginning of more revolutions soon to come by Soviet controlled countries -
U2 Incident
Soviets use a surface to air missile to shoot down an American spy plane taking photos deep within Russia, Worsening relations between the countries. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
US backed counter invasion of the country of Cuba to retake it from Fidel Castro a communist leader. The attack was easily repelled and was considered to be a catastrophic failure for the US. -
Berlin Wall
Wall erected by the Soviets to prevent the mingling of East Berlin and West Berlin -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Confrontation between Cuba and the US after the US discovered Nuclear weapons residing in Cuba. The ensuing days caused pandemonium and chaos in the US -
Assassination of Diem
The US felt as though Diem didn't fit their liking due to his dictator position he established for himself so he was assassinated -
Assassination of JFK
JFK was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald a profound Marxist and was a brutal blow to the US in the Cold War. -
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Gave the power to Lyndon Johnson to perform any measures required to maintain peace in Asia and prevent the spread of communism -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling thunder was a Aerial bombing mission that occurred over years where the end goal was to eliminate vegetation and suppress Vietcong forces -
Tet Offensive
Series of invasions of South Vietnam by the Vietcong that is commonly referred to as the turning point in the war. -
Assassination of MLK
Martin Luther King Jr. was shot at the Loraine Motel in Memphis. Not sure what he has to do with the Cold War but here he is. -
Assassination of RFK
Robert Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan after just having won the Presidential Primaries -
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
This was a joint invasion of Soviet controlled countries to hush the rebellions in Czechoslovakia. -
Riots at the Democratic Convention
A large group of protesters met with police and had a clash, showing the world that they were tired of the war. -
Election of Richard Nixon
With his election was a promise to pull the US out of the Vietnam War due to its loss of civilian popularity. -
Kent State University
A protest that erupted at Kent state soon turned violent as protestors started throwing rocks at the National guard eventually leading to the National guard opening fire upon the crowd leaving 4 dead -
Nixon visits China
This important moment is the start of tensions between China and the US lessening as the two countries become allies -
Ceasefire in Vietnam
Richard Nixon negotiates a ceasefire with North Vietnam in order to allow US troops to leave South Vietnam safely -
Fall of Saigon
In a final effort the Vietcong overtook the city of Saigon and renamed it to Ho Chi Minh city in honor of their leader in the war -
Election of Reagan
Ronald Reagan won the election to become the 40th president of the US -
SDI
Strategic Defense Initiative was a fake organization designed to run the Soviets out of funds trying to keep up in the arms race against the US -
Geneva Summit
Finally the US and the Soviet Union's leaders join to aid in the treaty of peace between the nations. -
Tear down this wall Speech
This speech made by Ronald Reagan was directed at Mikhail Gorbachev to take down the Berlin wall and release the people of West Germany -
The Berlin wall falls
Finally after the Cold War has ended the wall dividing Berlin into two parts is torn down and people rush from one end to another because salvation had arrived
